Effect of filament aspect ratio on the dielectric response of multiwalled carbon nanotube composites

Subpercolated composites consisting of highly polar fillers in an insulating matrix have long been predicted to exhibit a large dielectric constant. In this study, we examine the feasibility of experimentally reproducing such an effect based on a multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite system. MWNTs of different diameters were subjected to high-power ultrasound. The sonication-induced scission of nanotubes shows saturation at a final length dependent on the tube diameter, in agreement with a theoretical model. Sonication allows us to produce MWNTs with a prescribed mean aspect ratio between 10 and 55. Composites were formed from these MWNTs with PDMS elastomer at a fixed 1 wt% doping level, using a common solution-processing method. Results from AC impedance spectroscopy indicate that the tube length minimally affects the dielectric response of these composites when the doping level is below the percolation threshold. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3569596]